WWE ‘Raw’ News: John Cena Teams Up With Roman Reigns, Then Calls Him A ‘Corporate Knockoff’

Last night’s Monday Night Raw saw John Cena and Roman Reigns team up to defeat Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson in a tag match. As reported by the Inquisitr yesterday, Cena is now a free agent and is appearing on both Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live. The WWE rumor mill suggests that Cena’s free agent status is being used to boost wrestling superstars like Reigns, and last night’s Raw suggests that those rumors are correct.

As reported on the official WWE website Cena and Reigns engaged in a war of words during a promo for the upcoming No Mercy PPV. The pair tore verbal strips off each other, Reigns accused Cena of being a part-timer who was holding back the talent that would replace him. Cena won the war of words when he labeled Reigns a “protected corporately created” version of John Cena.

The promo for No Mercy complete Cena and Reigns signed contracts to face each other at the Raw exclusive PPV on September 24. With John Cena vs. Roman Reigns now confirmed, No Mercy will feature two matches that promise a huge night of sports entertainment. Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman was already confirmed for a No Mercy Universal Championship contest.

With the contracts for No Mercy signed, one would have assumed that Reigns and Cena could put their feet up to watch the wrestling. Not so, Cena and Reigns then teamed up to face Gallows and Anderson in a tag match, a match they duly won fairly comfortably.

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Are Roman Reigns And John Cena Better Used As A Team Or As Rivals?

Doubtless, many in the WWE Universe will be bemused by the decision to have Reigns and Cena team up immediately after verbally lashing each other. Perhaps this is a sign that the WWE network is determined to make the most of Cena whilst he is available. Let’s face it, this is WWE wrestling, and anything can happen.

Not everyone was impressed though. What Culture argues that pushing a feud between Cena and Reigns is misjudged and rushed. Like many, Bleacher Report asks whether Cena and Reigns are better used as a team than as rivals. Vince McMahon has invested over five years trying to build Roman Reigns as the “face” of WWE wrestling, but Reigns remains unpopular. Cena has been promoted as “the face who runs the place” for even longer.

[Image by WWE]

There is little doubt that Cena and Reigns are the WWE networks top baby faces, so using them as a tag team for a protracted period would perhaps allow some of Cena’s stardust to rub off on Reigns. This would allow them to continue the feuds that have been building for much of 2017.

Reigns’ feud with Braun Strowman has been epic, and Cena has been building a feud with Samoa Joe. On that level, a feud between Reigns and Cena seems to waste the momentum that has been built. Of course, if the WWE is using a feud between Cena and Reigns to set up the oft-rumored heel turn for one of them, then we could be entering a whole new era in WWE wrestling.